Module overview
This course will examine informal politics' role in shaping various political outcomes. While most institutional approaches focus on formal institutions, in many developing countries, formal institutions have a marginal effect on actual political practices. Although informal institutions are a sine qua non to the study of politics in developing countries, the course will also examine how informal practices are present in developed countries. The module will consider the role of informal politics and institutions in the context of several areas, including political participation and mobilization, clientelism and electoral politics, grand and petty corruption, policy and policy change, and state capacity.